


sunday morning

by Squishy_TRex



Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies), Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Insecurity, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-16 22:16:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4642113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squishy_TRex/pseuds/Squishy_TRex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's almost too good to be real, like a dream you never want to wake up from. </p><p>So, of course, that's when you're rudely awakened by doubt and insecurity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	sunday morning

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so this was supposed to be just fluff, but angst managed to make a special guest appearance? I just can't seem to completely avoid angst with these two.

For once, in what felt like forever, Benji Dunn was not awoken by the terror of his own nightmares, but by the innocent chirping of birds in the early morning.

Actual birds. Like he was in a fairytale or a Disney movie.

Although, considering who was sleeping next to him, he might as well have been in one.

Carefully, Benji turned over to face his bed partner, a smile unfurling on his face. Ethan Hunt was fast asleep, face pressed against his pillow. Some strands of dark hair had fallen over his eyes and his mouth was hanging open slightly, body rising and falling rhythmically with each breath. Anyone else in this state would have looked horrifying, yet Ethan still managed to look like sex incarnate.

Benji shifted so he was leaning on one elbow, giving him a better vantage point to view the human masterpiece sleeping beside him. This was such a rare occurrence and he planned to take advantage of every minute of it.

Typically, Benji was the heavier sleeper and wouldn’t get out of bed early for anything less than the end of the world. Unfortunately, Ethan not only rose with the sun, but sometimes actually managed to beat it to the punch, going for runs with stars still visible.

But now, he was sleeping peacefully, something that seemed difficult for either of them to accomplish these days. Ethan didn’t have nearly as many nightmares as Benji did, but he did still get them occasionally, waking up in cold sweats and wrapping an arm around Benji to pull him closer.

They didn’t discuss any nightmares they had.  Both of them knew what they were about.

Benji bit his lip as Ethan shifted slightly, an outward breath blowing more hair over his face; yes, he was definitely going to savor this moment. He didn’t care how sappy it sounded; he could lie in bed and watch Ethan sleep for hours. But as time ticked by and the growing sunlight bathed the man in a soft glow, Benji was finding it more difficult to resist touching him, lightly running fingers through his hair, brushing a thumb across his cheek.

Temptation proved too strong for him and he couldn’t keep from reaching out to gently sweep the hair away from his face.

“I can feel you staring at me,” Ethan mumbled, voice rough with sleep. Benji jerked his hand back like it was on fire and felt embarrassment course through him.

“Er, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you, I just…well, I was….and you were…er, I-“ he babbled, eyes nervously darting between Ethan’s face and literally anything else in the room.

Ethan cracked one eye open and smiled sleepily up at him. “I didn’t say you had to stop.”

If Benji wasn’t blushing before, he sure as hell was now.

“Well, I just…I just want you to know that I wasn’t, you know, trying to ogle you or anything, really. I was merely-“

“Admiring the view?” Ethan responded, grinning widely as he purposefully stretched his body out, eyes locked on Benji’s.

His breath hitched, unable to look away.

“You’re a right bastard, you know that?” Benji said, trying to keep some level of composure, even though his face was absolutely burning. Ethan only laughed at him. 

“Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. You’re cute when you blush,” he said, traces of sleep still lacing his voice. He moved around until he was lying completely on his stomach and folded his arms on top of the pillow before resting his head on them. Smiling sweetly at Benji, a wicked gleam in his eyes, he looked every bit like the cat that caught the canary.

Benji, however, was about ten seconds away from spontaneous combustion.

 “Right. Well, I’ve had enough embarrassment for one morning, thank you very much,” he said, as he pulled back the covers and attempted to get out of bed.

“Attempted” was the key word because as soon as he sat up, he felt Ethan gently grab his wrist.

“Stay in bed with me,” he whispered. Benji could feel the mattress dip as Ethan drew closer and wrapped a blissfully warm arm around Benji’s exposed stomach. “Promise I won’t embarrass you anymore.”

“Hmmm…not sure I believe you,” Benji responded, fighting the urge to give in. He could feel Ethan press a grin against his shoulder. “Besides, I’ve got this very important, er, work, to work on, so I really should-“ He tried to get up, but Ethan only tightened his grip. Even only half-awake, Ethan was still stronger than him.

“It’s Saturday.”

“Actually, it’s Sunday.”

“Still the weekend,” Ethan grumbled. “Thought we agreed we would at least take a break until Monday.” After completing the most recent mission, they had all (all being them, Luther, and Jane) agreed to take advantage of the hotel until the weekend was over. Considering part of the mission had involved holing up in a sewer in Paris for over ten hours, they believed it was deserved.

Benji tried to protest, but Ethan interrupted him with “Are you seriously blowing off lying in bed with me for work?”

“Well…” Benji knew his excuse was weak. And it wasn’t that he didn’t want to lie in bed with Ethan Hunt all day (a bit of a dream come true if he was being completely honest). It was that this whole…thing between them was getting dangerously close to something _real_.

Benji had harbored a crush on Ethan for felt like ages but they’d only recently started seeing each other; they hadn’t really taken the time to discuss any sort of labels.

Initially, they had mutually decided to take things slow, see how it progressed; in their line of work, relationships were difficult to start and a nigh impossible challenge to maintain. And Ethan had already paid the price more than once for falling in love.

However, as they started going to bed together more and more frequently, hand-holding became commonplace, and sappy glances exchanged so often they had started to cause minor distractions (mostly on Benji’s part), it seemed like they were establishing a steady pattern in the vein of every clichéd romance known to man. Even their teammates had caught on, either teasing (Luther), being embarrassingly supportive (Jane), or rolling their eyes (Brandt).

And of course, now that something actually had the opportunity to go right in his life, Benji had to overanalyze it and worry himself over it. He had come up with a million excuses as to why Ethan would want to be with him, would still be with him, and all of them preyed upon his deepest insecurities. He was way out of Benji’s league, in every possible way and he kept telling himself that, as good as this was, it could never last; the older agent would get tired of him eventually or he’d come to his senses and realize how much of a liability this relationship could be.  

But right now, he was having a hard time listening to all those negative thoughts, not when a deliciously warm and pliant Ethan Hunt was pressed up against him, feeling like every wet dream Benji was embarrassed to admit to.

The callused, but gentle hand slowly rubbing circles against Benji’s exposed stomach made up his mind for him.

Benji sighed, a little dramatically. “You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Hunt,” he said, giving a cheeky smile to the agent behind him. “I suppose I can be persuaded to stay.” He allowed himself to be pulled back into bed, leaning up against the pillows as Ethan positioned himself on top.

“Smart choice,” Ethan said, smirking. Benji swallowed thickly; the warm weight of Ethan’s body on his was the absolute definition of heaven. As were the slow movements he was doing to bring their bodies even closer.

Benji quickly thanked every deity he didn’t believe in that he wasn’t completely naked or he really would have embarrassed himself beyond the point of redemption.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Ethan was giving him the sweetest, most tender smile Benji had ever received. It took his breath away, how the older agent looked at him like he was the best thing in the whole world, like he was worth everything.

Benji could feel Ethan affectionately grasp his hip, thumb stroking the smooth skin there. His breath shuddered, but bolstered by Ethan’s smile, experimentally slide a hand against the man’s well-defined abdomen.

Spurred by feeling the man shiver and hearing a contented sigh escape his lips, Benji continued, caressing up Ethan’s body until he reached his face. He cupped the man’s cheek, absently tapping his thumb against the older agent’s lips. Benji pulled forward and, eyes darkening, Ethan went willingly until they met each other halfway in a gentle kiss.

Benji shook his head slightly in disbelief. It didn’t matter how many times they ended up in this position, he would always be amazed at how lucky he was. Not once did he want to take any of this for granted.

 _Especially_ , the voice in the back of his head whispered, _since there’s a chance_ _it all could end at any moment._ The thought made him frown and turn away from Ethan, breaking the chaste kiss.

“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked, brows knitted in concern.

“Nothing. Really, I’m completely fine. Not worried at all.” He stopped short at a disbelieving look from Ethan. “Okay, well, I, er, might be just a bit, only a little bit, nervous.”  

“About what?”

“You know, about all of this.” He gestured between them, a sheepish look on his face. “It’s just so unbelievable, that’s all.”

Ethan halted and leaned back, fixing Benji with a puzzled look.

“Benji, we’ve been together for over three months.”

“Yeah, and I’m still not entirely convinced that this hasn’t been some sort of dream or elaborate hoax.”

At that, Ethan’s face fully contorted into a frown.

“Is that what you think?” he asked, hurt present in his voice.  Benji shrugged, refusing to meet Ethan’s face. He had no desire to continue this conversation, but knew the agent wouldn’t let this go until Benji divulged everything. He took a deep breath before continuing.

“To tell you the truth, it’s a bit hard to believe that you would want to do this with…with me of all people. And if we’re really going for full disclosure here, I, er, keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Ethan raised one eyebrow, prodding Benji to continue.

“For you, you know, to end things, one way or another.” He hated himself for his insecurities on a good day and now, voicing them to one of people he loved most in the world, he felt completely loathsome. “It all seems too good to be true. And, that eventually, you’ll come to your senses and, er, well, leave.” He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to even look at Ethan after that admission.

“Benji…” The man in question fought to resist the cajoling tone of his partner.

“Benji, please, look at me,” Ethan pleaded. Reluctantly, Benji opened his eyes to see distraught strained across the other man’s face.

“I would never just…leave you like that,” Ethan said, the sincerity in his voice reflected in his eyes.

“You have before.” As soon as he said the words, Benji desperately wished he could take them back. Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise before shuttering closed, a pained look coming across his face.

“Ethan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t, that’s not, I know you wouldn’t, it was just…” Finding no good way to finish that thought, Benji let his babbling fall silent. For a moment, the room was unnaturally quiet; apparently even the birds outside could sense the tension.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. That wasn’t the best call.” Ethan shuddered out a breath. “Made a lot of bad calls on that mission,” he said, looking as if he was reliving every one of them. Benji felt like the world’s biggest arsehole. All Ethan had wanted to do was spend a relaxing morning in bed (together!) and he and his stupid insecurities managed to completely muck that up.

Which meant that it was up to him to fix it.

“No, look, Ethan, you really don’t have to apologize, ok? I was way out of line for bringing that up. I’ve made my peace with those six months, alright? You did what you had to do and, everything worked out. In the end, anyway.” Benji saw a flash of extreme hurt cross over Ethan’s features and he backed away, sitting up with legs splayed on either side of the younger agent.

“But-“ Ethan tried to interrupt, but Benji wouldn’t let him, reaching out to take a hand in his.

“No, I need you to listen because this is important.” Ethan acquiesced and fell silent, all attention on the other man. Benji took a deep breath before diving in. “I love being with you. It may very well be the best thing that has happened and will ever happen to me. And I swear I’m not sitting around at all hours of the day concocting various scenarios in which you leave me or hurt me or whatever.” Benji felt Ethan’s hand tighten in his.

“But, I have a lot of insecurities. And, sometimes, I let them get the best of me.” He managed a half-smile. “Not always as confident as I let on, shocking, I know,” he joked, coaxing a similar smile out of Ethan. Drawing himself a bit closer to the dark-haired agent, Benji continued.

“And even though I hate them and bring them out at the worst of times, I want you to know about my insecurities because…” He stopped short, looking away for a second before staring directly at Ethan. “I trust you. Probably more than anyone I know. And I want you to know everything about me, even the worst bits because, because I…I love you.” There, he had finally said it.

He’d been holding that in since Lane and everything that had happened in London. Saying it out loud made everything more real and knew that, no matter how Ethan responded, it was out there, insecurities be damned.  Fighting the blush returning to his face, Benji looked down at a suddenly very interesting wrinkle in the comforter.

“And I know we haven’t really talked about this, but I wanted to you know that. Needed you to know that. That I love you. Because I’ll be damned if I’m going to let my insecurities ruin the best thing that’s ever happened-“ Benji was cut off by the feel of Ethan’s free hand on his face, comfortingly resting on the back of his neck, thumb barely touching his jawline.

“I love you too,” Ethan said before bringing their lips together. They kissed each other deeply and Benji could feel a weight lifting off his chest, a soft, warm feeling replacing it. He used their entwined hands to bring Ethan even closer.

“I’m sorry,” Ethan said between kisses. “I didn’t mean to make you doubt that.” Benji shook his head.

“Nope, no more apologies. I am hereby banning apologies from this bed. On threat of, uh, withholding kisses,” he said, before kissing his way down to Ethan’s neck, feeling the vibrations of the man’s laughter against his lips.

“You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Dunn,” Ethan said. Benji bit his neck softly before Ethan dragged him back up for another kiss. Going slower, he kissed Benji languidly for a few tics, before coaxing his mouth and slipping his tongue inside. Benji moaned, clutching the dark-haired man closer.

He felt like he could kiss Ethan forever. This was what IMF’s lead agent turned him into, a lovestruck fool. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Believe me, Benji, I’m here because I want to be here. I’m with you because I want to be with you. And I promise,” he paused in his kissing to command Benji’s full attention. “I’m never leaving you again.”

Benji smiled at him, this ridiculous, selfless, insanely attractive, too-amazing-to-be-real secret agent of his. Who, apparently, was as head over heels for Benji as he was for him. He’d never know how he got so lucky, but one thing was for sure: he was going to try his best to never question it again.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Benji said, lying back down on the bed before dragging Ethan down on top of him. Distantly, he could hear the birds resume their chirping outside and thought to himself, _it’s a good thing I’m not living in a fairytale because this,_ Ethan’s lips sliding across his, their warm bodies pressed together, the early light streaming in,

_This is so much better._

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah, this was super cheesy, but I really wanted to write something sweet and fluffy for these two. Especially since everything else I'm working on for them is pretty angsty. Hopefully I can write more tooth rotting fluff for them or maybe a PWP; god knows they have more than enough angst in their relationship.
> 
> Feel free to send some prompts my way, my ask box is always open! http://the-woman-upstairs.tumblr.com/


End file.
